The Terror of Majin Buu
by xkelbix
Summary: A re-telling of the Buu Saga. When two strangers intervene in Gohans match at the World Martial Arts Tournament and steal his energy the Z Fighters give chase only to find out that an evil monster will be reborn with the stolen energy if they're not stopped. Seeking a new challenge the Z Fighters agree to help only to realize the horror of the monster that is Majin Buu.
1. Chapter 1

"Release it Gohan. Release everything!" his father's voice echoed in his head, "Remember all the pain he's caused, the people he's hurt, now make that your power!"

Gohan pushed his Kamehameha wave against Cells' with all his might; the voice of his father keeping him and the planet from crumbling beneath the blast.

"Say goodbye!" he heard Cell call and released a massive wave of energy.

Gohan groaned as the Kamehameha nearly overpowered him, the strain on his body becoming too ground shook and crumbled around them making it difficult for Gohan to keep on balance and focus his power. Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, they all tried to help distract Cell by blasting him but the super android was far too powerful and knocked them back with ease. That angered Gohan and he released more of his power but Cell was still too strong. He couldn't win like this.

Cell laughed manically as he felt Gohan's power declining when a blast hit him on the back making him almost lose his footing. He looked up at the perpetrator to find the Saiyan Prince floating in the air with his arm extended and breathing heavily.

"Vegeta!" Cell called in surprise.

"Now's your chance!" Goku shouted to Gohan.

With a mighty cry Gohan released every ounce of energy he had left within. His Kamehameha wave exploded from his palm and blasted through Cell's.

The android screamed in agony as his body melted within the blast and the glare from Gohan's raging eyes burning into him.

"I am Perfect!" he cried before every cell in his body disintegrated into nothing.

"Hey Gohan you coming?"

Gohan looked up at the blonde girl confused.

"Didn't you hear the bell? School's finished for the week," said Erasa.

Gohan had been so lost in thought he hadn't noticed, "Oh right."

"Was your head in the clouds again Gohan," Sharpner mocked.

Gohan laughed nervously and ran a hand through his long spiky hair. This was his second week at Orange Star High School in Satan City and he'd made some friends in Erasa, Sharpner and Videl. At first Gohan wasn't sure how to talk to them as he'd never made friends on his own before apart from in Dende but Erasa was the bubbly and talkative type and spoke to Gohan straight away, offering him to sit next to them in class. She was the easiest to talk to. Sharpner on the other hand was a big-shot and believed he was the coolest and toughest person in school. Gohan didn't know what to make of him at first because of his arrogant attitude and constant mocking of Gohan being a nerd but when Gohan accidental showed off some of his power in gym class Sharpner realized there was more to him than meets the eye. He still came off as arrogant towards Gohan but he also considered him a friend. And luckily Gohan had managed to keep his power level down and avoid another incident.

And then there was Videl. Gohan was shocked when he was told she was the daughter of Hercule Satan, the man who supposedly defeated Cell and saved the world. Gohan obviously knew this to be a lie as he and his father were the ones who defeated Cell but it didn't bother him that someone else was taking the glory. Mr. Satan always boasted about being the strongest in the world and that no one could beat him. Videl on the other hand was different. She actually protected the city from criminals and on a few occasions ran out of class in a hurry to go help the police. Unlike her father, she headed straight into danger to protect people no matter how much she put herself at risk; she was that dedicated. She didn't brag about being the daughter of the world champion, in fact she was quiet to begin with. She hardly acknowledged Gohan when he introduced himself to the group but after the incident in gym class that same day she began to talk more. Perhaps not as much as Erasa but she no longer ignored him which was a step forward in him making some new friends.

"So we're going to hang at the mall, you coming too Gohan?" asked Erasa.

"Sorry no thanks. I'm a little tired so I'm just gonna head straight home," it was lie. He was really going to train with Piccolo for a few hours but obviously he couldn't tell his friends that.

Videl's watch began to beep as she got an incoming call.

"This is Videl, go ahead," the black-haired girl said.

"Videl the Red Shark Gang has kidnapped the mayor and is holding him at knife-point," said the voice on the other end.

"Hold on I'll be right there," she said and hung up, "I have to go. I'll see you all later."

Videl reached into her pocket and pulled out a capsule, clicking the button and tossed it into the air and with a puff of smoke her yellow helicopter appeared in front of her.

"Have fun Videl, be careful," Erasa waved to her friend as she flew off.

Gohan had watched Videl fight crime from a distance a few times and admired her bravery but somehow in the pit of his stomach he had a feeling something wasn't quite right this time.

"I'll catch you later too guys," Gohan said and followed Videl's helicopter.

Being careful not to use too much power Gohan ran fast after the helicopter. Police cars raced through the streets in the same direction and Gohan was sure he just heard an explosion. And right enough, as soon as he rounded a corner he saw smoke rising in the distance and Videl's helicopter descending.

"There!" he said to himself and continued running.

When he caught up to them he saw the mayor tied to a chair with several armed men standing beside him and Videl fighting with a huge man who Gohan presumed was the leader. His sheer size made Videl look like a child next to a normal man but it wasn't his size that caught Gohan's attention, it was his strength. He was nothing compared to Gohan but he wasn't sure if Videl, as strong as she was, could handle him on her own. She seemed to be handling him for the time being, dodging his punches and countering with a kick to his face, but Gohan had a feeling he was just toying with her.

"You're going to pay for that one," the huge man said with a grin.

Suddenly one of his lackeys started firing his gun at Videl's feet and with her distracted trying to dodged them the boss launched towards her and she screamed as his fist collided with her face, knocking her flying across the ground and into some bushes.

Having had enough Gohan stepped between the two fighters.

"That's enough," he said.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it punk?" the boss grinned.

"Gohan stay back before you get hurt!" Videl yelled and stepped in front of him.

"Bit Videl-"

"Go home, I can handle this on my own," she said and launched at the gang leader in another fight.

Gohan watched as she fought fiercely. Even though this guy was much bigger than her she wasn't afraid of him and she would do everything to make sure he didn't win. It was admirable.

Suddenly the remaining gang member surrounded Gohan and pointed their guns at him.

"I don't know who you think you are but you're not getting away!" one of them yelled.

Gohan wasted no time and using his super speed he punched the man in the stomach, causing him to cry in pain. The others stared in horror as he dropped to the ground and had no time to react as Gohan knocked them all unconscious.

"Now I've got you!"

Gohan turned to see the gang leader holding a struggling Videl in a full-nelson.

"Let go of her!" Gohan yelled and ran towards them but stopped when Videl elbowed the leader in the stomach.

The leader gasped for breath and choked as Videl continued to hit until he couldn't hold her any longer. She sprung free from his grasp, jumping up behind him and kicked him on the back of the neck rendering him unconscious with the rest of his gang.

' What a girl! She decked him!' Gohan thought, 'Maybe she didn't need help afterall.'

As the police came over to release the mayor and arrest the thugs Gohan made a break to hide in the crowd.

"Gohan!"

he stopped dead in his tracks, 'Oh no, busted!'

When he looked at her glaring eyes he knew he was in trouble now. He was supposed to be laying low and keeping his power hidden from everyone but his concern for her safety is what caused him to act. If he had known she could have handled herself so easily he would have just gone home like he said.

"I want to thank you for what you tried to do."

Gohan was taken aback, he wasn't expecting that answer, "Err, sure, no problem."

"But I want to know how you were able to handle all those guys on your own," she stood right in front of him and stared into his trying to pry the truth from him.

"Uhh just luck I guess," he laughed nervously.

"I'm not an idiot Gohan. There's no way a scrawny bookworm could take on four armed men and live to tell the tale. but then, you're no ordinary person are you? Sure you're a bookworm but you've also had some martial arts training haven't you?"

'How could she possibly know that?'

"And don't try to deny it. I did some research and know that your father was the champion of the twenty-third Martial Arts Tournament and there's no way he wouldn't have taught you any skills," the smug look on her face showed that she was proud how much she knew about him.

"Sure I know a little martial arts but-"

"Then it's settled. You're going to compete in the twenty-fifth World Martial Arts Tournament that's in twenty-eight days and I'm going to be your training partner for a few weeks. Just think, the daughter of the former champion against the son of a former champion. Our training starts tomorrow Gohan, I won't go easy on you."

And with that she left, leaving Gohan standing bewildered in the middle of the street.

"HYAAA!"

A thundering sound echoed through the fields and mountains. Gusts of wind bent the trees to the ground, mountains smashed and crumbled and rivers lashed into the air. This was no storm, but the clashes of fists as Gohan and his mentor Piccolo fought hard. Ever since Cell's defeat Gohan and Piccolo trained on a regular basis to keep their strength up. Their power had increased dramatically in these seven years and only continued to grow every time. Although due to Chi-Chi having Gohan study and attend school they didn't have as much time as Vegeta who trained for hours every day to the point where they could feel his power from hundreds of miles away.

Gohan gasped as he was knocked back by a kick to his abdomen.

"Light Grenade!" Piccolo yelled and threw a yellow ball of energy towards Gohan.

The blast exploded as it crashed into Gohan's arms creating a cloud of smoke around him. When he lowered his arms down Piccolo was no longer in front of him and didn't have time to block or dodge as Piccolo's fist collided with his cheek sending him crashing to the ground.

Gohan rubbed his pounding head as he sat up.

"You're not trying hard enough Gohan," said Piccolo as he lowered to his level, "Something is clearly distracting you."

The Namekian's gruff voice would make anyone think he was angry but Gohan knew him better than anyone to know that he was concerned. Gohan sighed and stood.

"It's just...all Day during school I couldn't stop thinking about my final clash with Cell and my father encouraging me to keep going. I know it's been seven years since then but even after all this time it still comes to mind now and again. I've been trying to become stronger like Dad and push past that moment but I guess you can say I still feel guilty."

This was a discussion Gohan and Piccolo had not long after the Cell games. The young boy had blamed himself for getting carried away in his fight with Cell and not killing him when he should have, that way Goku would not have had to sacrifice himself to teleport Cell away before he destroyed the planet. Piccolo managed to convince Gohan then that only he felt that way and that he shouldn't blame himself. He thought he'd gotten over it but it seems that even after all this time, it was still playing on his mind.

"Your a strong warrior Gohan and no one but Cell is to be blamed for your fathers death," Piccolo placed a hand on his students' shoulder, "You couldn't have predicted Cell would sink so low as to blow himself up with the planet. I know you wanted to make him suffer for the pain he caused everyone, that is not so different than what your father did with Freeza. You saved this world and possibly the entire universe by defeating Cell. Your father is proud of you for that Gohan. Don't forget that."

Gohan sighed, "Your right. Thanks Piccolo."

"Now shall we get back to training?"

Gohan nodded and jumped into a fighting stance, "Oh but one more thing. Did you know there's a World Martial Arts Tournament coming up?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"Well this girl at school, Videl, she's asked me to enter. Do you think I should? I mean, I don't want to hurt anyone with my power."

Piccolo thought for a moment, "It would be a complete waste of time unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless I enter too."

Gohan raised his eyebrows, "You want to enter?"

Piccolo grinned, "Sure. The last time I fought at the tournament was against your father. It would a thrill to fight his son and my own pupil."

"I think I'll enter too!"

Gohan and Piccolo stared at each other confused. That voice was familiar. Was that...?

"Is that you Dad?" Gohan asked in disbelief.

"Hi son. It's great to hear your voice again," the ever-cheerful voice echoed in their minds.

Gohan felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from shoulders. He never thought he'd hear his fathers voice again until it was time for him to go to Otherworld. To hear him speak to them now was like his dreams had come true.

"I can't believe it, it's really you!" he felt his eyes watering, "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too son. King Kai and I have been having a blast all this time and I've been training really hard so I can't wait to fight with you. I'm allowed to come back for one day and I thought the tournament would be a great chance to see how strong you've all gotten over the years."

"Training in the Otherworld will have made you so much stronger Goku. I can't wait to see what you can do," Piccolo grinned.

"Yeah, and it would great to fight you in the finals again Piccolo," said Goku.

"Yeah but this time it will be even more intense. You may be a super Saiyan but I've gotten a lot stronger too."

Gohan silently cheered as the two former rivals conversed. This was amazing, he would get to see his father again and Goten would get to meet him for the first time. He was always telling his little brother stories about their fathers strength and Goten had always wanted to meet him. Not to mention everyone would want to see Goku, even Vegeta.

"I'll see you both at the tournament then. Tell your mother and the others for me, will you Gohan? I can't wait to see everyone."

"Of course Dad. I'll see you soon."


	2. Chapter 2

Word of Goku's return quickly spread to the other Z Fighters. Gohan could hardly contain his excitement as he told them the news. Krillin and his wife Eighteen both decided to enter the tournament when they found out the first place prize was ten million zeni. Even Vegeta agreed to enter, which came as no surprise to Gohan if he knew Goku was competing. The Saiyan Prince had always longed for an opportunity to fight Goku once again but this time to win. In the past Gohan thought Vegeta would never be able to defeat his father in combat and although part of him still believed that, Vegeta's constant hard training put some doubt in his mind.

When he broke the news to his mother she was so overwhelmed with excitement she burst into tears and smothered Goten in a hug, making him almost choke on his dinner. She wasn't so happy about him entering the tournament however as it meant he would have to skip out on school for a while to train but she immediately changed her mind when he told her about the prize money. Goten was even allowed to be Gohan's training partner for the time being which the young boy was overjoyed with.

It was early morning and the sun hadn't risen yet. He and Goten stood in a field of grass, a perfect place to start their training. It was a few miles from their home and there was no people around so they could show off their skills without anyone noticing. They started off with a small exercise of Goten gathering rocks to throw at Gohan to test his dodging abilities, although it took much longer than it should have because Goten kept getting distracted by the creatures that lived nearby. Gohan sometimes forgot he was still a young boy but when enough rocks had been gathered and the exercise began he was surprised by how powerful Goten's throws were that he had some difficulty dodging them.

"Few! What an arm Goten. My gosh you've really gotten strong. I was no where near as strong as you at your age," Gohan stared at the cliff he'd been standing in front of with its many holes, "So how about it, do you fancy being my sparring partner?"

"Yeah!" the young boy cheered with excitement.

"Do you know sparring form?"

"Yeah, that's what Mom always taught me while you were studying."

'Wow really?' Gohan thought. His mother sure had changed since his father died. Allowing Gohan to train regularly with Piccolo was shocking enough but actually training Goten herself? He didn't expect that.

"I bet training with her wasn't easy. She's always been a tough fighter. I bet she could give most of those fighters at the tournament a run for their money," Gohan laughed.

"Yeah it was but I've gotten so much stronger because of it. I'll show you!" Goten then took up a fighting position.

Gohan smiled and also took up a position, "Alright let's see what you've got."

Being the less skilled of the two, Gohan allowed Goten the first move and was surprised by his little brothers speed as he punched and kicked at Gohan's head. Gohan blocked each one and moved away to see if Goten could keep up. The young boy went all out on his attacks to show his big brother how strong he was. Gohan had no doubt he'd been wanting to show off his skills for a long time but never had the chance because Gohan usually trained with Piccolo.

Gohan went for a counter attack and kicked with enough speed to test his brother but not enough to seriously hurt him. Goten however seemed to expect it and ducked under it and continued his attack. Gohan backed away more and jumped up the cliffs, surprised that Goten still managed to keep up, before leaping into the air.

"Hey Gohan that's not fair. You have to stay on the ground because I can't fly!" Goten shouted up to him.

"Huh? You really can't fly?"

"No. If I could I'd be kicking your butt!"

Gohan laughed at his brothers spirit. He sure was a tough little guy, but not being able to fly limited their training. It would be best to teach him how to fly before they continued.

"Alright squirt I'll teach you how to fly."

"Really you will? Alright!" Goten jumped and backflipped on top of cliff chanting that he was going to fly.

Gohan smiled when he heard the engine of a plane nearby, however when he turned around he noticed it wasn't a plane, it was Videl's helicopter.

Gohan flinched when he realized he was floating in midair then quickly descended to the ground. His face was bright red as she got out of the helicopter.

"Videl what are you doing here?" he asked. His voice was a little shaky and nervous.

"I came here to train with you remember?" she said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," he said, "But how did you know where we were?"

"I found your house and your Mom told me. Although she wasn't very polite about it," the expression on Videl's face told him there'd been an argument.

'Oh great, now I'll have questions to answer when I get home,' he thought.

"I wasn't expecting to find you floating in the sky. Tell me how you did that!" her demanding voice was almost like his mothers when she was angry.

"You mean flying? I don't know how he does it but he's going to teach me!" Goten said enthusiastically.

Gohan tried to silence Goten before he finished the sentence but he was too late.

Videls' eyebrows shot up, "You're going to teach him to fly?"

Gohan smacked a hand to his face. This was just great, of all times for her to show up why did it have to be when he was in midair.

"Well if that's the case then you're going to teach me how to fly too!"

Gohan stared at her in shock, "You want me to teach you to fly?"

"Of course. I don't want you to have an unfair advantage over me when we fight in the finals."

Gohan almost burst out laughing, 'With both my father and Vegeta entering the tournament I'll be lucky if even I make it to the finals.'

Gohan could easily refuse to teach her but her bossy attitude was a little intimidating and he didn't want to anger her any further. He found it funny how he could combat against extremely powerful beings such as Freeza and Cell but was too afraid to tell a girl his own age that he wasn't going to train her. But then again, part of him wanted to.

"Alright I'll teach you both. But you're going to have to do everything I tell you understand?"

Both Goten and Videl nodded.

"Then let's get started."

The first hour of Goten and Videls training was more difficult than Gohan originally thought it would be. He had to first explain to Videl what ki was and how it was used to channel their powers such as flying and Goten demonstrated by firing an energy blast into a rock and shattering it. Having been brought up as Mr. Satan's daughter she had never seen anything like it before and believed, like her father, that it was a trick. He couldn't blame her for not believing what she was seeing but that only made it harder for him to explain. However it was clear she was eager to learn as she listened to everything he said and paid close attention to what he was doing. At first she was trying too hard to concentrate and made herself tense but as the hours went on she began to relax more and he could feel her channeling her energy more and more each hour.

"You're so close, I can feel it," he said as he sat in front of her.

Videl sat with her hands out in front of her. Her eyes were closed and she was in deep concentration. A slight glow pulsed in her hands as her energy slowly but surely built up. A soft humming began to sound as a tiny sphere of golden energy formed in her hands and grew until it was the size of a tennis ball.

"That's it, you've got it," Gohan smiled. He was impressed by her progress. She certainly was a special girl, "I guess doing martial arts all your life made it easier for you to tap into your power. Very good."

Videl stared at the energy ball in her hands. She was amazed that she had created such a thing. It was incredible. She suddenly started to feel tired and the energy ball vanished from her hands. She puffed in some deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" Gohan asked, knowing that channeling energy was tough when not experienced.

Videl lifted her face to look up at him with a big smile then jumped to her feet, "So do you think I can fly now Gohan?"

"Woah slow down. You need to learn to control that energy before you can fly."

Her smile faded and an impatient scowl formed on her face, "Then don't just sit there, let's learn this thing."

"Alright but let's get Goten in on this too. Hey Goten come on over bro!"

The young boy who was trying to catch some bugs in a net stopped when he heard his name called and ran over to them. Goten had more understanding on how to control his energy than Videl so most of Gohan's time had been trying to teach Videl how to use it.

"It's time for you both to try your first flight. Just channel your energy through your body and let it lift you up,"

Goten tried jumping off the ground as high as he could but he wasn't even close to channeling his energy and Videl stood on the tip of her toes, the strain on her face showed that she was trying too hard once again. Teaching was much harder than he thought it would be, maybe he should have asked Piccolo to help.

"No, no Goten, you need to use your energy, hopping from the ground isn't going to make you fly," said Gohan.

Goten nodded at his brother and stood still. With a look of pure concentration he built up his energy causing the wind to pick up around him until his feet slowly lifted from the ground. His face lit up into a huge grin.

"That's it Goten. Good job!" Gohan was so proud of his little brother. He may be a bit wobbly but it was a big step for him.

Goten floated through the air trying to gain some height.

"Not so high Goten or you'll hurt yourself!"

"Don't worry I'm OK," he said but lost his focus and fell face first to the ground.

Gohan ran over to him, "Hey you alright?"

There were tears in the young half-Saiyan's eyes but he tried not to cry and nodded.

"I told you not to go too high. Take it one small step at a time OK?"

"Ok," he said and hovered around in circles a few meters above the ground, increasing the his height only slightly the more confident he got while Gohan continued to instruct Videl.

She tried again and again to focus her inner energy. Gohan could tell she was getting more and more frustrated when her feet never left the ground but what she didn't realize was that her power was building up and she was so close to her goal.

The grass beneath her feet began to blow as a gust of wind emitted from her body.

_ 'Stay focused Videl, you've almost got it' _Gohan thought.

She was trying so hard to focus that her face started to redden with the stress. She was about to give in to exhaustion when she felt her feet slowly lift from the ground. She concentrated really hard not to lose her energy but she couldn't hold it much longer and lowered back to the ground breathing heavily.

Gohan smiled widely, "That was it Videl! You really did it. That's amazing, I've never known anyone to learn to fly on their first day."

"Oh really?" she gestured to Goten and when Gohan looked at his brother he felt like slapping himself in the face.

Goten was flying around in circles a few feet from the ground laughing and chanting 'Goten is a birdy!'

Gohan scratched the back of his neck, "Well Goten has been controlling his energy for a longer time than you so it's only natural that he learns quicker."

Videl didn't look too happy that she was being outsmarted by a seven year old. She turned to Gohan, "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Are you sure? You already know how to do it, you just need to practice."

"I need to learn more about this, plus we haven't had a sparring match yet. Or you think my presence is a burden?"

Gohan blushed, "No, of course not."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

Gohan watched as she hopped into her helicopter and flew off. Her demanding attitude was a pain but he was amazed how determined and skilled she was for someone...well, Normal. The only humans close to Gohan's strength had been training for years under Master Roshi and King Kai so to see someone who'd only had basic martial arts training learn something so different in such a quick time was astounding. He knew it wouldn't be long until she mastered the art of flying and who knows, maybe she could even become as strong as them in years to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Ten days into Goten and Videl's training they had mastered the technique of flying. Both were now able to fly as high as the clouds and at some great speed. Videl's attitude towards Gohan had even changed. She no longer glared or yell at him to help her and was more polite when speaking to him and thanking him for his lessons. She'd even cut her own hair short because she felt her hair might get in the way of her fights. She suggested Gohan do the same but he didn't agree; he liked his hair long.

When Gohan declared that their training in flying was complete they started their sparring lessons. Despite her being nowhere near him in strength he could tell she trained a lot as her hits made quite an impact to the point where she smashed a huge rock into pieces by accident. She even managed to keep up with Goten when Gohan paired them together, to both of the half-Saiyans' surprise. He tried to teach them both the Kamehameha Wave and laugh Goten managed to pull it off, however with little control, Videl couldn't get the hang of it and preferred to stick to punching and kicking. Perhaps that was for the best, they wouldn't be using energy beams in the tournament anyway.

Now with only eighteen days left until the tournament, Videl decided her training with Gohan and Goten was complete and it was time for her to practice on her own. Although Gohan inicially enjoyed his time spent with Videl he was glad that now he and Goten could get some real training done. Every day with Goten he was able to use more and more of his strength so he could push his body as much as he could but being careful not to hurt Goten in the process. Goten certainly inherited their fathers fighting spirit and constantly asked Gohan to train with him to the point that they only took breaks to eat or sleep. He had no doubt now that even if Trunks was stronger than Goten, when the two of them fought it was going to be one heck of a show.

The day of the tournament finally arrived and Gohan was feeling a little nervous; not about the tournament itself, but seeing his father again. Even though he'd spoken to Goku when he announced he was entering the tournament too, Gohan didn't know how he was going to react when he saw him right in front of him. There was so much he wanted to tell him, about his school, his training with Piccolo, time with Goten and Videl, but mostly he wanted to tell him he was sorry. Sorry that he couldn't be there to enjoy it all with them because Gohan had let him die during his fight with Cell. He knew his father would never blame him for his death but that didn't stop him feeling guilty. He should never have allowed that to happen and he wouldn't ever again.

Gohan wasn't the only one nervous however. Goten always wanted to meet their father and the excitement only grew when he heard he would actually get the chance. He'd grown up on Gohan's stories of their fathers heroism and although he admired him so much, he was scared about what to say. Gohan told him not to worry and that he'd know when the time came.

Everyone apart from Piccolo had been picked up in the morning to fly together in Bulma's plane. Even though Gohan had seen them all at some point in the last month it was strange but good to be together with everyone once again. At Gohan's suggestion Vegeta hesitantly agreed not to turn into a Super Saiyan, stating that he wouldn't need to, to beat them. Gohan had no problem with it either as he hadn't turned Super Saiyan in years and although he'd never forgotten how to do it, he preferred that he push his body even further by not transforming when training and making Piccolo an even stronger training partner.

After a few hours of flight, and Vegeta's complaining at how long it was taking, they finally arrived at the island where the tournament was being held. There were thousands of people gathered and even more coming in by plane or boat. People of all ages gathered at the many market stalls to buy food and souvenirs and some of the crowd ran towards a rumble of cheering as Hercule Satan appeared to sign some autographs.

"Oh look guys, our hero. The man who saved us all from Cell because we were too weak. Remember?" Krillin joked.

"Do they really believe that?" Bulma said, unable to comprehend it.

"I hear you know his daughter Gohan," said the shapeshifting pigman Oolong.

Gohan nodded, "Yeah she's a real strong fighter. Judging by her strength during our training I bet she's even stronger than her Dad."

Vegeta scoffed, "That doesn't exactly amount to anything."

"Mr. Satan hasn't changed a bit," said Yamcha when he heard the mans loud boasting to the public.

"Forget about him Yamcha. I'd rather find out where my dad is," said Gohan and looked around for any sign of him.

"I don't sense Goku here but someone else we know is," said the old Turtle-Hermit Master Roshi.

Everyone followed his gaze to see a tall caped figure standing in the shade of some palm trees.

"Look it's Mister Piccolo!" Goten gleed.

Gohan went over to greet his mentor, "Good to see you Piccolo. I see you've been training really hard since our last match."

"Yeah but it seems you've been slacking a bit."

Gohan scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yeah well I had to teach Goten and Videl how to fly and that took quite a bit of time. But don't worry, I'm still stronger."

"Good. As long as you stay focused on the fights then I know you'll be a tough opponent."

Gohan nodded, "Hey have you seen my dad by any chance?"

"No not yet. But he'll be here."

"Where could he be?" said Chi-Chi as she looked around. She was starting to get the feeling he wasn't going to show afterall.

Krillin suggested splitting up to look for him but just as he was about to run off a sudden presence appeared next to them.

"Hey, I'm back!"

Everyone stood frozen in place, staring at the being before them. The black spiky hair, the orange gi and huge grin was so familiar that it was hard to believe at first.

"You guys have changed a lot in the last seven years," said Goku and his eyes widened when he looked at his son, "Gohan! You're giant!"

Gohan was so overjoyed that he burst into laughter. Krillin, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Ox King, Bulma, Puar and Oolong's eyes began to flow with tears as they stared in amazement at their hero before rushing towards him in a group hug.

"We've all missed you so much Goku," said Chi-Chi as she clung to his shirt.

"And I've missed all of you," he said and embrace her back.

"It's so great to see you again dad," said Gohan.

"It's great to see you too Gohan. Huh? Who's that at your leg Gohan?"

Gohan looked down to see his little brother clinging to his leg and hiding.

"Hey it's alright Goten," he knelt next to the young boy, "This is our Dad."

Goten hesitated before looking up the heroic figure, "I'm Goten."

Goku walked over and knelt in front of his miniature-self, "And I'm Goku. Hi."

Goten continued to stare at soft smiling face for a moment longer before he leapt forward into his arms, "Daddy!"

"Hey little guy, you're a strong one!" said Goku as he lifted his son onto his shoulder.

Gohan felt his heart melt. He felt so happy that Goten finally got to meet their father; his hero. It was a moment Gohan had wanted to see for so long.

"Listen up Goku. Remember that you only have twenty-four hours. That's all I can do," said Baba, the small witch that arrived with Goku.

Goku nodded, "I know."

"Good. I'll see you then."

"Okay, thanks Baba!" Goku waved as she flew off.

Now that everyone was gathered they headed to the registration desk to sign up. Piccolo was the only one not to use his real name and instead registered as Ma Junior just like the last time. Both Goten and Trunks were given permission from their mothers to enter too but were disappointed when they weren't allowed to compete with the adults because they were under fifteen years of age. At least they knew who was fighting in the final round of the Junior Division.

Once they were registered Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Eighteen and Piccolo headed to the waiting area where they would be lined up with the other competitors for a test of strength to qualify while Goten and Trunks headed off to the junior waiting area. Their task was to punch as hard as they could into a punching machine and the top fifteen scores would qualify for the tournament with the reigning champion Mr. Satan as the automatic sixteenth member. The Z Fighters found this amusing as all of them were overqualified so tried their best not to hit too hard but their scores were still high, to the horror of the other competitors. Vegeta on the other hand didn't hesitate to shatter the machine into pieces with his own punch but luckily they were all finished by then so they weren't delayed by his showing off.

"Hey Gohan!"

Gohan turned to the voice calling his name to see Videl walking over to them.

"Hey Videl it's good to see you. I guess you're done with the punching test too," he said.

"Yeah it was easy. You're lucky you're finished too. I heard some guy broke the machine."

"Yeah that was Vegeta," he laughed and pointed at the broody Saiyan Prince.

Videl looked at him in surprise, "You say that as if that's no surprise."

He scratched the back of his neck, "Well to be honest Videl it's not. Vegeta is a really tough fighter just like the other guys with me."

She never noticed the others gathered with Gohan.

"Hello there. So you're the girl I keep hearing about," said the man with the black spiky hair and orange gi.

"Yeah Dad, this is Videl. She's...my friend," Gohan blushed a little, earning a look from Krillin.

"This is your Dad? But I thought you said he was dead?" she said, wondering if she heard their conversation a while back wrong.

"I am but I was allowed to come back for this one day to compete in the tournament. See this halo above my head?"

Videl at first thought he was joking but the seriousness in his tone said otherwise, "What? What are you talking about?"

"It's a long story and I promise I'll explain later but let's go watch the junior fights for now," said Gohan and she let it go for now.

"Hey all you crazy fans!" called the Announcer as he walked out onto the arena, "Welcome to the World Martial Arts Tournament!"

The thousands of fans erupted into cheers.

"First up we have the junior division with the first place prize of ten-million zeni and the runner up five-million zeni. And we've got something extra special for the junior winner this year, in fact it's so special it makes me wish I were a kid for the chance! You see folks, the winner gets to fight with the legend himself Mr. Satan!"

The Announcer pointed to the entryway where a cloud of white smoke gathered and the figure of Mr. Satan appeared standing tall and proud with his hands in the air. The crowd jumped to their feet in cheers. Mr. Satan then ran up at full speed towards the stage and leapt high into the sky only to lose his footing when he touched the ground and fell on his back causing the crowd to burst into laughter. They were unaware though that it wasn't planned and that he fell by accident but he tried to hide it by pretending it was an act.

"This guy is a joke," said Krillin.

"Krillin be quiet!" Gohan said and pointed at Videl.

"Oh right, sorry."

What happened next could not have been predicted. A television blimp flew above the arena to show them a movie what 'really' happened at the Cell Games. The actors wore huge head masks of the Z Fighters present at the time along with Cell and Mr. Satan with his huge grin, much to the amusement of the Krillin, Gohan and Goku. Piccolo and Vegeta on the other hand were livid. It then showed Goku and Cell's fight in mid air and was so purely done that the ropes to hold them in midair could be seen and the actors were punching the air instead of eachother. It was like watching a child's play. It then showed the Z Fighters beaten and bowing before Cell but then Mr. Satan arrived and the shear sight of terrified Cell and he started bowing and begging in front of the champion. Mr. Satan then punched and kicked Cell a few times and declaring that he was beaten, Cell exploded into nothing.

"Justice always wins," said the fake Mr. Satan and held up two fingers of peace.

The shear stupidity of the so-called re-enactment was so much that none of the Z Fighters could speak for a few moments.

"Well it sure wasn't accurate but it kept me entertained," laughed Kook.

Now that that was over it was time for the junior division to begin and for them to see Goten and Trunks in action.


	4. Chapter 4

The junior division started with the competitors lining up on the stage. Goten and Trunks looked to be the youngest or at least smallest amongst the group but were definitely the strongest. The 'normal' kids were so inexperienced and weak that simply missing their opponent and falling down made them cry.

"Boy, this is worse than watching paint dry," said Krillin as he leaned on the railing.

Luckily for him however he didn't have to wait much longer until Trunks was up. Next to the fifteen year old Idasa the eight year old Trunks looked tiny but his calm and bored demeanor showed that he was nowhere near intimidated by the height difference.

"Are you ready to cry short-stack?" said Idasa as they walked onto the arena.

"Please don't talk," said Trunks. Idasa's attempt at trying to intimidate Trunks in the waiting area showed he was nothing more than a show off that thought he was tougher just because he was older. Trunks couldn't be bothered with people like that.

Idasa scoffed, "You sure you don't want to beg?"

"You sure you want to live?" Trunks retorted quietly.

"Let the match begin!" the Announcer called.

Trunks didn't move as Idasa continued to boast about his strength and try to intimidate Trunks.

"Come on then short-cake. Fight!"

"Don't worry. You'll feel it soon enough," said Trunks and before Idasa could react, Trunks swept his legs from under him then kicked him into the air before he could touch the ground.

Trunks walked away casually as Idasa fell face-first onto the arena floor unconscious, declaring Trunks the winner.

Goten was paired up with Ikose, Idasa's fourteen year old brother. He looked nervous at being in front of so many people to begin with but when the fight started he realized Ikose was no match for him he relaxed and took him out with one little punch to the face.

The rest of their opponents weren't much of a challenge either and Krillin was so glad that they took them out fast so they could progress quicker.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for; the Junior Division Championship between eight year old Trunks and seven year old Goten!" the Announcer called with excitement and the two boys walked onto the arena.

"I bet being World Champion is gonna be fun," said Trunks.

"I'll definitely let you know how it is," said Goten.

"We've seen these two warrior valiantly advance to the finals but now only one of them can become World Champion. Who will it be: Trunks or Goten?"

As the crowds cheered Gohan could hear his mothers and Bulma's voices cheering for their sons.

When the Announcer was finished giving his speech he stood just outside the arena and Goten and Trunks took up their fighting positions. Each of them had an equal amount of the crowd cheering for them. They exchanged a few words about each of them going for the win when the announcer called:

"Begin!"

both boys dashed forward at great speed and punched as hard as they could. Their arms locked together as they pushed against eachother's weight. Trunks broke free first and attacked with an onslaught of punches and kicks causing Goten to defend. He broke free and they both dashed into the air and continued their attacks, leaving the crowd speechless.

"Yeah, this is more like it!" said Krillin with excitement.

"They're really going at it," said Gohan. He was impressed by how much strength the two of them had and their power was so evenly matched.

A punch to Trunks' face, then one to Gotens. They disappeared then reappeared then locked in combat once more. Punching, kicking and dodging with such speed that only the Z Fighters could see every move without effort. They kept this up for a few minutes longer before descending back to the ground then dashing towards eachother again. Goten went to punch Trunks in the face but went through. Just as he managed to stop himself the real Trunks appeared from above and tried to punch but Goten dodged with a backflip only to be kicked from behind and sent hurtling towards the endge of the ring.

He tried to concentrate his energy to stop but was finding difficulty but when his mother shouted for him to stop he flipped forward and stopped, now facing the arena again. Angry, he touched back down on the arena and launched at the grinning Trunks and headbutted him in the face, knocking him off balance before engaging him in combat once again. Goten dashed for a punch but Trunks dodged and flew up into the sky only for Goten to appear behind him and lock him in a full-nelson. Trunks struggled for a moment but broke free and punched Goten, knocking him away, then appeared above him and kicked him to the ground and followed after. Goten cried out in pain but gathered his bearings and landed on his feet. He dashed to the other side of the arena as Trunks touched down again and they launched at each other for a punch only to both hit at the same time. They were dazed for a moment as their punches landed on each of their cheeks then locked in a fierce battle again, this time creating smoke from the ground as their feet moved so fast. Their fists collided together creating a blinding flash of light before they jumped back from each other and stood in their fighting position again.

Trunks grinned, this was the kind of fight he was expecting.

Goten smiled back, he was having a blast.

"My gosh. Goten and Trunks are stronger than most of the adult fighters here," said Videl in disbelief. She may have trained with Goten and Gohan but the strength the young boy now showed was nothing like she felt during their training.

"Those two are really tearing it up. They'll be stronger than us if we don't watch it," Goku smiled with glee.

"Looking good Trunks. You too Goten!" cheered Krillin.

The crowd that had been silent throughout most of the fight due to shock, started to cheer for more.

"Pretty impressive. Somehow you've managed to get a lot stronger since the last time we fought," said Trunks.

Goten smiled, "Gee thanks Trunks, I owe it all to Gohan though. He's the one that's been training me all this time."

"He did good, but not good enough. Try this," Trunks extended his arms out to the side and summoned a ball of golden energy in each hand.

"Uh oh, if he fires an energy blast here he might hurt someone!" said Krillin.

"Ah don't worry about it. The kid is in complete control," said Goku.

Trunks pushed both arms in front of him together and the two balls of energy blasted towards Goten as one.

Not wanting to get hit Goten jumped above it at the last moment but was surprised when Trunks re-directed the blast up straight towards him. He yelled out as he narrowly dodged it and watched it soar up into the sky until it vanished.

"Nice huh? What did you think?" asked Trunks when Goten landed back on the ground.

"That was really cool. Gohan taught me a little about that stuff too. Watch this: Ka-me-ha-me-" he took the stance of the wave and summoned a ball of energy.

"Did he teach you how to control it?" asked Trunks but Goten didn't answer.

"Ha!" Goten launched the blue beam towards Trunks but missed when he inclined his neck to the side, narrowly missing the Announcer and firing a piece of the buildings roof off.

"Oh well. I guess Goten still has practice to do," said Goku.

"I told him not to use any energy waves because he hasn't got full control over them," said Gohan, "I guess with Trunks showing one off he couldn't resist."

After an agreement between Goten and Trunks to not use any more energy beams the fight continued. They ran towards each other and locked in a grabbing match only for Trunks to quickly overpower Goten and toss him into the air. When Goten managed to stop spinning he noticed Trunks had vanished.

"Where'd he go?" he said as he floated in the air.

Just then Trunks appeared behind him and locked him in a full-nelson just as Goten done to him before. Goten struggled to free his arms but he couldn't move them an inch. He tried to kick him in the leg but failed. He could feel the strain on his arms as Trunks continued to pull tighter and was beginning to suffocate.

"just give up Goten, you're only making this harder on yourself," said Trunks.

Goten refused to give up now and continued to struggle but he was growing weak and couldn't keep it up much longer. He cried out in pain as Trunks still continued to pull.

Suddenly Trunks let go but Goten was too exhausted to react in time to dodge his kick and was sent flying towards the ground.

"Goten watch out!" called Gohan.

Goten heard his brothers shout and brought out what energy he could to stop himself before he touched the ground. He started to slow down but he was so close to the ground now. He closed his eyes and prayed.

'Tack!'

But when he opened them he saw that his feet were touching the grass outside the ring, "Aaaahhh!"

"Goten has touched out of grounds which can only mean one thing. Trunks is the winner!" called the Announcer and the crowd burst into applause.

"Aww darn, he lost," said Goku.

"He was doing so well too. I guess one of them had to win eventually," said Gohan, proud by how well his little brother had done.

"Cheer up Kakarot, there's always next year," said the smug Vegeta, "Your son put up a good fight but there can only be one champion."

Goten kneeled on the grass in defeat. He couldn't believe he lost. With all his training with Gohan he was sure he was going to win but Trunks was always that one step ahead of him. It wasn't fair.

"Hey Goten,"

He looked up to see Trunks standing on the arena stage next to him.

"No hard feelings right?" he said and held his hand out for him.

Goten stared at him bitterly for a moment but his friends smiling face cheered him up and took his hand to be pulled back onto the stage.

"Let's hear it for these two warriors folks; Trunks and Goten!" cheered the Announcer.

Before the adult division begun it was time for Trunks to get his exhibition match against the reigning champion Mr. Satan, something he wasn't overly thrilled about.

As the crowd cheered for their hero, Goten wished Trunks luck and ran off to the edge of the arena beside the Announcer to watch.

'I don't need luck. This'll be over in less than a minute' Trunks thought.

"This isn't going to be much of a fight," said Goku.

"Right, you better not blink or you'll miss it," said Krillin and they laughed, even Vegeta.

"Trunks is going to pulverize that noisy fool," said Vegeta, "'World Champion', I've known stronger house plants!"

The look on Videls face told Gohan she'd heard their comments and he wished he could crawl into a hole and never come out again, "He's just kidding Videl, weren't you Vegeta?"

The Prince didn't answer and to his relief neither did Videl.

The crowd continued to cheer for the champion but he didn't appear. The Announcer announced for him but he still didn't appear. Gohan had no doubt Mr. Satan had figured out who they were by now and knew he was out of his league; afterall he was present at the Cell Games so he knew the kind of power they all possessed.

It wasn't until a shove from one of the tournament staff knocked him into view of everyone did he show his face. He stood frozen in place hoping that no one would notice but the growing volume of cheers told him that he couldn't run now.

"Yeah!" he cried and posed for the crowd, their supportive cheers giving him courage.

"Alright little man are you ready to go toe-to-toe with the champ?" he said and pointed at Trunks, "Well you better watch it son. I'm the greatest fighter of all time"

All the while he boasted for the fans, inside he was thinking of a way to get out of this fight that he knew was going to end up in a humiliating defeat for him.

Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and Krillin decided to skip the match and go get something to eat, must to the dismay of Videl who was expecting them to stay and study her fathers' martial arts skills. Gohan chose to stay with her, he wanted to see what happened.

As Mr. Satan 'warmed up' for the fight, Trunks stood waiting for it to begin. He was getting bored now and just wanted to go eat. He was going to finish this quick.

Before the fight even begun Mr. Satan suddenly had a sore knee from 'fighting Cell' all those years ago. The Announcer called for a doctor to come check but Mr. Satan immediately stood up saying it felt better. Gohan had to stop himself from laughing, he didn't want to hurt Videls feelings.

Just before the Announcer started the match Mr. Satan ran over to Trunks.

"Good luck kid, may the best man win. But let's make sure not to hit eachother really hard when we're doing the Champions Greeting at the start of the match," said Mr. Satan.

"Champions Greeting?" asked Trunks.

"That's right. World champions have a special way of greeting eachother before a match. It's like a punch only super soft right in the face. Get it? Little tiny touch right there on the cheek," he tapped his right cheek, "except with fists OK?"

"Ok," said Trunks. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

Believing that Trunks got the message Mr. Satan declared to the Announcer that he was ready.

"Alright everyone out champ has given us the thumbs up so without further delay, let the match begin!"

Feeling so confident that Trunks would play by his rules, he leaned down so that his face was only a few inches in front of the kid, ready for the 'champions greeting'. Trunks wasted no time and punched straight into Mr. Satans face who looked as if his eyes were about to pop out from the impact. He was sent flying from the ring right passed Goten and the Announcer and crashed head-first into the wall of the building. When the dust cleared Mr. Satan was stuck to the broken wall upside down before falling face-down to the ground. The crowd stared in silent horror.

'Darn it Trunks, you didn't have to go that far' Gohan thought but was trying not to laugh.

Everyone continued to stare in silence as Mr. Satan lay on the ground for a few moments before he struggled to his feet. When he realized how quiet the crowd was he burst into laughter, "What a punch! Yeah, he beat me up fair and square! What a great little fighter!"

The silent crowd then erupted into cheers believing that Mr. Satan let Trunks win by knocking him into a wall.

Gohan couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter. He couldn't believe they all bought that. Mr. Satan sure had a way with his fans. Mr. Satan then left the arena and Trunks was declared the winner meaning that the junior division was now over and a thirty minute interval before the adult division started. Now the real fighting could get started.


	5. Chapter 5

Now that it was time for them to get ready for the adult division, Gohan and Videl decided it was time they caught up to the others. They found them in the dining area stuffing their faces with food. Or at least Goku and Vegeta were while Krillin, Piccolo and Eighteen watched with disgust.

"You know don't think I'll ever get used to this," said Piccolo, his nose wrinkling with distaste.

"You sure eat a lof for a dead guy Goku," said Krillin.

"You know, that's exactly what King Kai always tells me but what can I say, I just love to eat!" Goku spluttered through his full mouth. He smiled when saw his son and Videl walk in, "Gohan hey! How did it go guys?"

Trying to be respectful to Videl he didn't let on how funny he thought it was, "Pretty interesting. Trunks beat Mr.. Satan with one punch."

Vegeta grinned proudly.

Krillin made a comment about Mr.. Satan deserving an academy award for his 'acting' much to the annoyance of Videl. She was getting tired of them making fun of her father. Sure she wanted him to lose so he would stop boasting all the time but he was still her father whom she cared about. Gohan convinced her that Krillin was only joking so she let the comments slide for now and they sat down to eat.

Like father, like son, Gohan too shoveled plate after plate of food into his mouth as if it were nothing but a snack going into an empty stomach. The dishes on the table piled up until they could no longer see Eighteen or Piccolo sitting at the other side and were still ordering more.

"Good grief! You Saiyans are like bottomless pits!" said Krillin.

"What's a Saiyan?" asked Videl.

"Krillin!" Gohan yelled at his friend who clamped his mouth shut tight before apologizing.

After a few more bowls Goku finally stood up and stretched as if he'd just awakened from a nap.

"Man that was incredible! What a feast" he said satisfied.

Gohan and Vegeta soon finished too and now that everyone had satisfied their hunger they headed to the waiting area to find out who was to fight who. The fifteen qualifiers were gathered next to a board ready to list their names and their opponents. The only one not present was Mr.. Satan who was probably still recovering from his 'fight' with Trunks.

"Sixteen fighters in total huh? I hope at least one of them is going to be worth fighting. I don't want this to get too boring," said Krillin.

Now that everyone competing, apart from Mr.. Satan, was gathered the Announcer started the draw. He called each of their names and they stepped forward to pick a ball with a number on it from a box to be written on the board. Krillin prayed that he wasn't up against any of his friends in the first round because he wanted to advance at least once. Even Piccolo found that amusing.

A tall and muscular dark-skinned man named Killa was the first to draw, picking number fourteen.

Next was another tall muscular man with a bald head and wearing a white karate outfit. His name was Sisor and he picked number three.

Krillin was called and he nervously stepped forward, this time praying that he didn't have to wait too long before his round. His number was one, "What in the world did I do to deserve this?"

Gohan was next and he stepped forward eagerly. He picked number eight.

'Great. I'm in the fourth match' he thought with a smile.

Eighteen was next. The Announcer asked if she was using her real name and she simply stated that her 'father', referring to Dr. Gero, being rather dull when it came to naming her. Her number was nine.

A huge and muscular man named Spopovich was the next to draw. His skin was so pale and every vein in his body pusled so angrily that they looked like they were going to pop. His deep and heavy breaths made it seem like he'd already been fighting. He also had a strange 'M' symbol on his forehead.

"Number six!" he growled.

He wasn't quite sure what it was but Gohan got a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach when he looked at this guy. It wasn't just his appearance, it was something else.

A long blonde-haired man named Jewel, who looked more like a fashion model than a fighter drew number sixteen, meaning he would fight last.

"Goku. Your turn now," said the Announcer with excitement. He too couldn't wait to see Goku fight again after all these years.

Goku did a quick stretch before going over. He rummaged in the box for a moment trying to decide which ball to pick and when he chose one he held it up for the Announcer to see.

"Number eleven," he said.

Videl's name was called and she eagerly stepped forward and picked number five.

Gohan felt a horrible chill run down his spine. That meant she was matched with Spopovich. She was but an inscect to his hulking form and although Gohan knew size wasn't everything, he had a awful feeling that this match-up wasn't going to be good for Videl.

Videl asked the Announcer where her father was and Goku was shocked to learn that she was talking about Mr.. Satan.

"I don't see the resemblance between them. She's quite the looker," said Krillin.

"Oh, uh, you think so?" said Gohan nervously, his face starting to blush.

"You just throw in a little bit of charm and I'll sure she'll go out with you," Krillin nudged him.

"Shut up Krillin!" Gohan's faced reddened even more.

"Pintar is number two," said the Announcer and Krillin turned to see his opponent.

He was a large Indian man who looked like he was about to eat Krillin rather than fight him. Now Krillin was satisfied he didn't have to worry about his first fight. This was going to be way too easy.

"Vegeta, you're next," said the Announcer.

The Saiyan Prince, who'd been sitting on the ground bored and waiting to be called got to his feet. There was some tension as there weren't many places on the board left and when a huge grin plastered onto his face he turned and held up the ball for them all to see.

"No! Not the two of them!" said Piccolo in panic.

"Whoa, Goku and Vegeta right off the bat!" cried Krillin. This couldn't be good.

Goku on the hand was excited. Both he and Vegeta had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The two Saiyan rivals would finally get their chance of a rematch after all these years.

A ridiculously dressed fighter named Mighty Mask was next to draw the number thirteen, pairing him with Killa.

Piccolo, or rather 'Ma Junior', was next to draw and picked number four and wasn't overly thrilled about being paired with a weak opponent such as Sisor.

Due to Mr.. Satan not being present, the Announcer picked his number: ten.

"Look Eighteen, you get to fight Mr.. Satan!" Krillin cried with joy. He couldn't wait to see that fool get his butt kicked by his wife.

"I'm jumping with joy," she said with no hint of excitement.

"I wouldn't take it so lightly. My Dad's a dangerous man," said Videl.

Eighteen's face didn't even twitch. She highly doubted Mr.. Satan lift a car, nevermind beat her in a fight.

The next up was Yamu who was standing next to Spopovich and like the hulking man he too was pale with veins almost popping out of his body and that strange 'M' symbol on his forehead. He was smaller in size however, more like an ordinary man. His number was fifteen which meant that the only number left was seven; Gohan's opponent.

"And last but not least we have Sheno," said the Announcer.

A woman leaning against the wall with her eyes closed stepped forward. She was tall for a woman, about the same height as Gohan and had spiky red hair that spiked up at first then flowed down to her waist. She wore a dark-magenta outfit with yellow around the edges and a matching yellow sash around her waist. She had black shoes and dark-blue pants tucked into dark-magenta bands around her ankles and matching bands around her wrists.

She was another that Gohan had a strange feeling about. She had a calm and emotionless expression on her face that gave him no indication of her personality or abilities. He found it odd that he couldn't sense anything from her. It was as if she wasn't even there.

"Whoa she sure is pretty, lucky you Gohan," Krillin nudged him again, earning a glare from Videl and Eighteen.

"There, we have a full board of fighters!" said the Announcer.

First up was Krillin and Pintar.

Second was Sisor and Piccolo/Ma Junior.

Third was Videl and Spopovich.

Fourth was Sheno and Gohan.

Fifth was Eighteen and Mr.. Satan.

Sixth was Goku and Vegeta.

Seventh was Mighty Mask and Killa.

And finally eighth was Yamu and Jewel.

Now that everyone was assembled their fighting partner the Announcer showed them to the waiting room where they would begin the matches straight away and explained the rules to them on the way. The rules were mostly the same as the junior division and they would automatically lose if they; fell out of the ring, gave up, was unconscious for more than ten seconds or killed their opponent. They were given no more than thirty minutes for each match and if there was no winner in that time the judges would decide.

Krillin was a little disappointed. If he knew his friends' strength, he had a feeling thirty minutes wasn't going to be long enough. But then again, that meant the battles would be even more intense because they had a time limit to beat each other. Goku and Vegeta's fight would still need more time.

"Ladies and Gentlemen are you ready?!" the Announcer called as he stepped outside and the crowd erupted into cheers.

"It's about time things got started," said Yamcha, "I bet you can't wait to see your Dads' fight huh boys?"

Trunks sat bored next to his mother as she cheered. He wished he was fighting with them. Goten on the other hand was a little more excited. He too wanted to fight among the adults but he was glad enough that he would get to see his Dad fight.

"Yeah! Gohan's told me he's really strong!" he said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"He sure is and with him paired up with Vegeta you'll get to see just how strong he is in the first round."

"Now let the Martial Arts Championship begin! I am proud to present the first round of Krillin versus Pintar!"

"Break a leg Krillin," said Goku.

"Just so long as it's not one of mine," he said back and was almost knocked over by Pintar's huge belly bumping into him, "Hey, save it for the ring!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you down there puny man," said the giant oaf.

Krillins daughter Marin was little worried that the huge man would crush her father but Yamcha reassured her that he was one of the strongest fighters around and would have no problem winning.

Some comments were thrown from the audience about the size different between the two fighters being unfair.

'Yeah, unfair for him' Krillin thought with a smug grin.

Both fighters took their positions and the Announcer started the match. Before Krillin could even blink, Pintar yelled a war cry and started back-flipping around the arena getting faster and faster before leaping into the air and crashing his feet with a loud thud in front of Krillin, cracking the stones beneath his weight.

Krillin stared bewildered, 'What the heck is this guy doing?'

Pintar continued to taunt Krillin about his tiny size.

"You are so lame," said Krillin, shaking his head.

Pintar laughed, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but you can never hurt me. And to prove I'm right I'm going to let you have the first punch. Right here in the gut."

Krillin shrugged, "Alright you asked for it."

Before Pintar could taunt him any further he gasped and spluttered as Krillin's fist buried itself elbow-deep in the fat of his stomach. He cried in pain as Krillin slapped his face back and forth a few times before finishing with a kick sending him crashing to the ground outside of the ring unconscious, leaving a huge dip where he landed.

"Pintar has landed out of the ring which makes Krillin the winner!" cried the Announcer.

Krillin walked off stage with his fist in the air as the crowds cheered.

"Hey nice going Krillin," Goku cheered as he walked back into the waiting room.

Krillin scratched the back of his head, "Ah it was nothing. I guess it's your turn now Piccolo."

The Namekian who was leaning against the wall patiently stood up and when he and his opponent were called he entered the arena.

He looked at his opponent. He never spoke a word to Piccolo and immediately took up a fighting stance, but the smug grin on his face was misplaced.

'This won't take long,' he thought.

And right enough, as soon as the fight started Sisor rushed towards his opponent and jumped into a kick a few meters in front of him only for Piccolo to grab his ankle, holding up in midair, and throw him across the arena with little effort where he slid off the edge and crashed to the ground unconscious.

The crowd, except Yamcha, Chi-Chi, Oolong, Puar, Bulma, Marin and Goten, were speechless. Trunks merely sighed with boredom.

"Whoa in less than ten seconds Ma Junior has thrown his opponent from the ring! Incredible!"

Piccolo walked back to the others unimpressed. He hoped the next round against Krillin was more exciting.


	6. Chapter 6

When the Announcer called Videls' name for the next match the crowd cheered for her and a band started playing and chanting her name.

"They really like you don't they?" said Gohan, "I guess we have a pretty smart crowd."

"Thanks," she smiled.

Gohan smiled back then looked over at the hulking form of Spopovich sitting in the corner. The horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach started to bubble again whenever he looked at him. He was darn right creepy to look at. He still looked like he was struggling to breath as sweat poured down his body and the veins in his muscles and head pulsed angrily with each breath. Gohan wondered if he was even able to fight in that condition, he couldn't sense his energy very well either.

After a word from his comrade Yamu, Spopovich stood and walked through to the arena. Gohan tried not to show his discomfort as he walked passed them but it hadn't gone unnoticed, Piccolo could sense his pupils' discomfort.

"Hey Gohan," said Videl, bringing him out of his trance.

"Yeah?"

"I want to see you in the second round OK?"

"You got it," he nodded, trying to hide his blush and ignoring the suggestive glance from Krillin.

Videl walked out onto the arena next to her massive opponent who was more than twice her height and about five times wider in muscle. That didn't scare Videl though, she was going to win.

"I'm sure most of you know, Videl is the daughter of the Champion Mr.. Satan. Seven years ago she succeeded in becoming Champion of the Junior Division and since then she has put her best foot forward to help our brave boys in blue capture evil villains across the City," said the Announcer, "As for her rival today, Spopovich is here to redeem himself for a loss he suffered in the first round of last tournament against none other than Mr.. Satan himself!"

Videl took up position and eyed her opponent with interest, 'So my Dad beat him in the last tournament? Then I'll hold up that tradition and beat him in this one,'

They took up their positions on stage, ready for the Announcer to start the match. As Videl looked at Spopovich face to face, his glaring eyes piercing into her soul, she felt sick.

'Ugh, what a creep,' she thought.

"Hey sports fans are you ready? It's Videl versus Spopovich! said the Announce, "Let the match begin!"

Videl wasted no time and launched at her opponent with a mighty kick to his face then elbowed him in the stomach before he could recover. She punched and kicked as hard and fast as she could, giving him no time to counter and only to block. She jumped back a few meters then launched at him again and struck her fist across his face sending him crashing to the ground.

"Spopovich is down! And from the looks of it he's not getting back up!" called the Announcer.

Videl huffed and puffed in deep breaths. She used up quite a bit of stamina in her attacks intending to finish him as soon as possible, which she accomplished. But before the Announcer could start the countdown Spopovich got to his feet, showing barely any signs that he was hurt.

This time Spopovich attacked back. He launched at Videl and punched hard at her face but she blocked with her arm then he tried again and she blocked it. Their fists collided, creating loud bangs with each hit, and Videl threw in a few kicks, managing to strike his face and knock him off balance for a moment before he engaged her in combat again. He tried to grab her but she saw it coming and slid under him and countered with another kick to the face, this time knocking him down face-first to the ground. But again he got to his feet, unwinded by her attack.

She growled in frustration and readied herself again.

He rushed towards her and tried to grab her again but she ducked, grabbed his shirt and kicked one of his legs from under him and threw him over her where he landed neck-first on his back.

Videl breathed in deeply as exhaustion started to take hold of her. She wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.

Just as the Announcer started the countdown again, Spopovich got to his feet with ease. When he turned to glare at her she noticed that blood was trickling down his chin.

'I need to hurry up and take this guy down before I run out of energy,' she thought and engaged the hulk in battle.

"She's kicking butt out there!" said the impressed Krillin, "I give this guy two more minutes tops."

Gohan didn't agree however. Against an ordinary opponent Videl would have won already but Spopovich wasn't normal. He may have been at one time but he wasn't any more. As strong as Videl was he wasn't sure she could keep going for much further, she was exhausted.

She punched him in the face again then kicked him in the abdomen where he slid across the ground on the back of his neck before rolling onto his front with a loud thud.

"And Spopovich takes another fall!" said the Announcer, "I think you'll all agree the young Videl really packs a punch! Looks like she may have put an end to this one. What an incredible fight!"

"See, I told you she would win. Right Gohan?" said Krillin but when he saw the young man's serious expression he realized something wasn't right, "You alright Gohan?"

"No. Spopovich should have been knocked out cold a while back but it doesn't matter how much Videl throws at him, he keeps getting back up," he said, a drop of sweat trickling down the side of his face, "Something isn't right about him."

And when they saw Spopvich get to his feet once again, they realized how true Gohan's words were. This was no ordinary man. His body was trembling with his building rage. Was this because he lost to Mr.. Satan the last time and now wanted revenge against his daughter? If so, Videl had to be careful or she could get seriously hurt.

As Spopovich ran towards her again Videl decided it was time to finish this once and for all. She flew up and kicked his square in the face, bloody spittle flying from his mouth, then elbowed him in the chest where he crashed to the ground again. Almost every stone slab on the arena was now cracked and broken from her knocking him down.

She didn't wait for him to get up before she launched again and her fists pounded into his stomach the moment he was on his feet again. He choked and spluttered as she continued her onslaught and finished with a knee to the face.

She placed her hands on her legs and gasped deeply, sweat dripping from her soaking hair.

Believing that it was over the crowd and Announcer cheered as he started the countdown but gasped in horror as he once again got to his feet, this time with a huge grin on his face.

"But that's impossible!" Videl cried.

"She should quit the match now," said Goku, his playful tone now completely serious.

"But why? She has the advantage," said Krillin. True, Spopovich wasn't ordinary but he still believed Videl would win.

"No Krillin. She doesn't," said Gohan.

Videl was exhausted but as Spopvich walked up to her again she readied herself. She had no time to react as Spopovich's fist knocked her flying across the arena where she landed hard on her back. She groaned and her muscles shook as she tried to push herself to her feet. His attack had really hurt.

As soon as she was up he launched forward and kicked her on the chin sending her flying back towards the edge of the ring. Before she could hit the ground she focused her energy and managed to stop from touching the ground outside. The crowd watched in awe as she floated above the ground for a moment before gathering herself and flew straight for Spopovich who was taken aback and kicked his face around. He stumbled back a moment and Videl gasped in horror when she realized what she'd done.

Spopovich's head was spun completely around and he gurgled in breaths as more blood poured from his mouth before he fell to the ground.

Gohan's eyes widened in shock, "Oh no, she didn't!"

Videl collapsed to her knees as tears started to form in her eyes. She couldn't believe that she'd just killed him. She didn't mean to, she just wanted to win.

"Well, that's it. Videl has clearly beaten her opponent," said the Announcer with regret, "But I'm afraid she will be disqualified for using excessive force. Those are the rules."

Suddenly Spopovich started to move and the crowd shrieked in horror. He slowly and shakily pushed himself up into a sitting position then planting his feet on the ground he pushed up until he was standing again, his head still twisted around.

"He's alive!" the Announcer cried in horror.

Videl felt like she was going to be sick as he grabbed his head and slowly twisted it around, bones squeaking and cracking as he done so, until it was back in place.

Everyone was speechless and horrified.

Videl was too frozen in terror that she had no strength to dodge his kick to her face and crashed to the ground in pain. After a few moments she pushed to a sitting position and held her bleeding nose as Spopovich laughed.

"Goku was right, she should have forfeited," said Krillin. He'd seen much in his lifetime but never anything like this. He couldn't find the words to describe how he felt right now.

As Videl got to her feet Spopovich launched for another attack but struck nothing as she leapt into the air out of his reach.

"Videl has outsmarted her opponent by taking to the air!" said the Announcer in relief.

'Stay up there Videl,' Gohan thought.

Spopovich laughed manically as he looked up at the young girl. Suddenly his feet lifted from the ground and he flew speeding towards her.

"Oh no Videl!" Gohan yelled.

But she didn't hear him. She was too stunned to move and watched as he flew just above her. His manic features glared into her. She gasped as he held his palm out and formed a purple energy ball and fired it at her. She couldn't move and was hit full on.

She screamed as the blast burned her skin and sent her flying back to the ground head first. She was falling fast and she knew she didn't have the energy to stop herself so she flipped forward and held out her hands and feet, managing to break her fall. She could hardly breath and her body shook with pain. He stomped back down a few meters in front of her.

'No. This can't be. I'm the daughter of Mr.. Satan. I can't lose to the likes of him,' she thought, "And I won't!"

With what little strength she had left launched forward and kicked him in the face then another and another but her drained strength showed that Spopovich was hardly feeling it now. He headbutted in the face and punched her in the stomach then in the face.

She cried in pain as she landed on the ground on her front.

"Videl has hit the ground hard. Let's hope she can get up," said the Announcer.

'Stay down Videl,' Gohan thought but unfortunately Videl had other ideas and struggled to push herself to her knees.

"I will never give up!"

She tried again this time punching him multiple times, slowly driving him back but to no effect. He countered with a kick to her face then a punch to her stomach before knocking her to the ground and continuingto hit her as she lay on the ground causing her to spit up more and more blood with each hit. He lifted her up by the head and punched sending her flying only for him to reappear behind her and kick her back in the other direction. He grabbed her and slammed her back onto his knee and held her in place while proceeding to punch her in the face.

Gohan felt his blood beginning to boil. Every hit on her caused her great pain and he hated to see her like this. If this kept up Spopovich was going to kill her and Gohan couldn't stand by and watch her die.

Spopovich lifted her up by the head again and punched her in the stomach. He grinned when he felt her ribs break under his fist then threw her across the arena where she skidded to a half at the edge.

The Announcer tried to convince Videl that now was a good time to call it quits but her stubbornness wouldn't allow it and she slowly got to her feet once again.

Gohan started to feel a little anger towards her too, 'Why won't she just quit? Surely she can't believe she can still win.'

Her ribs were broken and every inch of her body shook as she inhaled deep and painful breaths. The fact that she could even still stand was a miracle in itself so how in the world did she expect to win?

Gohan felt his blood turn to ice as Spopovich grabbed her by the hair and she shrieked in pain, silenced only when he kneed her in the face causing more bood to flow from her nose and mouth.

"No. Stop," said Goku when he felt his son's power level dramatically increase, "Just calm down. You're not going out there."

Gohan wanted to yell at him. How could he just stand by and watch his friend get brutally tortured while that monster laughed? If this were any other situation none of them would allow it so why now? It may be a tournament but Spopovich wasn't playing by the rules.

Spopovich continued to laugh and pushed him foot down on her head, ignoring her terrified screams. The crowd cried for him to stop but he wouldn't listen. This was too much for Gohan to bear. His blood was white hot and he was starting to lose his focus. He hadn't felt such anger in a long time and he could feel it was about to explode and tear the whole island apart.

"No Gohan. Don't go out there," Krillin tried to calm the young warrior down.

"Don't try to stop me!" Gohan yelled and launched for the arena.

"Enough Spopovich!"

Gohan halted in his tracks to see Yamu floating beside the arena. Spopovich stopped and stared at his comrade confused.

"Stop playing games. Don't you remember we have far more important things to do," said Yamu with a penetrating stare, "Finish it."

Spopovich huffed, unhappy that his fun was over, and kicked Videl hard enough for her to slide off the edge of the ring where she lay motionless.

As the Announcer announced with great relief that she was out of the ring and the match was over, Gohan raced towards her.

"Videl are you OK?" he asked with deep concern as he knelt beside her.

She grunted in response, much to Gohan's relief, 'Thank goodness, she's still alive.'

The Announcer came running over, "Should I call out a stretcher for her?"

"No. I'll take her myself," said Gohan as he gently lifted her beaten body into his arms. Before he took her inside he looked to the perpetrator as he walked away.

"Spopovich!"

The hulking monster stopped in his tracks and looked at him with an evil grin.

"Next time it's you and me!"

Spopovich's grin only widened before he took off with Yamu.

It took all of Gohan's strength to stop himself from killing that monster here and now. He would win his next match quickly so he could advance and face him in the next round. He was going to make him pay for what he's done. Gohan was going to kill him.


	7. Chapter 7

Gohan stood to the side in the recovery room while the doctor's attended to Videl. Goku had teleported to Korin's Tower using his Instant Transmission technique to get some Senzu beans. He'd been gone for about five minutes now and Gohan was getting impatient.

_'Come on Dad. What's taking you so long?'_ he thought.

Just then the door burst open and Mr Satan came rushing in. His eyes popped when he saw his daughter lying on the hospital bed barely conscious.

"Videl! Oh my little girl!" he cried and gripped her hand gently.

"She'll be alright sir, but she's going to need some time to heal," said Gohan.

Mr Satan turned to him and growled, "Oh yeah? And who are you? Are you the one who did this?"

"No Mr Satan. This young man is the one that brought her in. You should thank him," said one of the doctor's before Gohan could get a word in.

"That's right. It was Spopovich wasn't it? He's the one that did this," Mr Satan's features relaxed a bit "Thanks a lot kid. I'll get you an autograph."

"Err, thanks, I guess," he said.

Gohan had calmed down now that he knew Videl was going to be alright but seeing her lying in the bed and the distress on both her and her father's faces made him feel guilty. He should have intervened earlier. He didn't care if that meant both he and Videl were disqualified, her health was more important to him. To see her screaming and in such pain would forever be implanted in his memory and who knows what effect it would have on her psychologically. He clenched his fist angrily. He would never let anyone hurt her again.

"We don't need you now boy. You can go," said Mr Satan, not taking his eyes off his daughter.

Gohan didn't want to leave but he understood that Mr Satan wanted to be left alone with his daughter. He nodded to them and gave Videl one more glance before he opened the door to leave.

"G-Gohan…wait…come back," said Videl through shaky breaths.

Gohan stopped and faced her once again. She was shaking as if she were standing in the middle of a blizzard. Her eyes were now open and she looked directly at him.

"That guy…Spopovich…go get him."

Gohan gave her a soft smile and nodded, "Don't worry. I'll get him."

She smiled weakly at him as he left. Oh he'd get Spopovich alright, and he would do it for her.

* * *

When Gohan returned to the waiting room he asked that the Announcer delay his match for a few more minutes while his father went to get some medicine for Videl.

"Uh sure, if that's alright with Miss Sheno," said the Announcer and looked at the crimson-haired woman who was leaning against the wall with her arms behind her head. Her golden eyes stared up at the ceiling.

"I'll wait," she said without even looking at them.

"Alright Gohan we'll hold the fight off for a few minutes longer, but please don't take too long. We don't want to keep the fans waiting."

Gohan nodded in thanks to the Announcer and Sheno, who didn't respond.

As the Announcer distracted the fans Gohan had started to pace back and forth waiting for his father to return. It had been twenty minutes in total since he left but to Gohan it felt like hours. Why was he taking so long just to get some Senzu beans?

Gohan growled in frustration, "What is taking Dad so long?"

Just then Goku appeared in front of him holding a small brown cloth bag.

"Did you get the beans Dad?" asked Gohan.

"Yeah. Korin and Yajarobe only had three left but they're all yours if you want them," Goku smiled and handed to bag to Gohan.

"Thanks Dad," said Gohan and he rushed off back to Videl's room.

There were a number of news reporters now gathered outside the room knocking on the door and asking questions. Gohan didn't waste time with them and gently pushed passed them, apologizing for bumping into them, and opened the door.

"Hey! Who said you could come in here?" said Mr Satan but Gohan ignored him and walked straight passed him.

"I've got something to help you feel better Videl," he said and pulled a small green bean no bigger than a peanut out of the brown bag.

"Hold it! Don't you dare give that to my daughter!" Mr Satan roared but he was too late as Gohan dropped the Senzu bean into Videl's mouth.

Mr Satan begged her to spit it out but she trusted Gohan and chewed. The hard texture was difficult to chew at first but when it crumbled in her mouth she tasted a hint of fish. She swallowed it and immediately all her pain was gone and she bolted upright on her bed, staring at her hands in awe.

"There. You're all better now," Gohan smiled.

"Th-thank you Gohan," Videl said, still unable to believe all the pain was gone so quickly.

Gohan nodded, "I'm sorry I have to run but I have a match to win."

Satisfied that Videl was feeling better he ran passed the stunned doctors and Mr Satan and back to the waiting area to begin his match. A huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He caught up to the others and nodded to his father in thanks before running out onto the arena where Sheno was already waiting.

"Thanks for waiting. I'm ready to begin now," he said.

Glad that things could finally get started the Announcer picked up his microphone, "Sorry to keep you waiting folks. Now let's get started! In the fourth match we have Sheno versus Gohan!"

The crowd cheered and Gohan saw his mother and friends calling from the stands. He felt his face flush a little as his mother chanted his name. He even saw some of his classmates from school in the bleachers cheering for him. He was surprised, but probably not as much as them when they realised he was fighting in the tournament.

"Fighters ready!"

Gohan stood in a fighting stance, as did Sheno. He tried to read her body language but he couldn't tell what kind of fighting style she was going to use. He still couldn't sense any energy from her which worried him a little. He may be a strong fighter but he could usually sense his enemy's power so he knew what he was up against. But with her it could mean he was far too strong for her or she was more powerful than him. Either way he wasn't going to hold back. He needed to win and face Spopovich in the next round.

"Begin!"

Gohan launched towards her at such speed that if anyone blinked they would have missed it. He went to punch her only for her to block with very little effort.

Surprised by her strength Gohan jumped back before she could counter. Her face showed no emotion. Gohan rushed her again this time adding more punches and kicks. Sheno continued to block each with her hands and ducked as he swung a kick at her head. She kicked up from the ground and punched her fist up into his chin causing him to stumble back.

Gohan's eyes widened as he rubbed his chin, _'What incredible strength!'_

"Whoa did you see how fast she moved?" said Krillin, unable to believe his eyes.

"She's another that's not so ordinary," said Piccolo.

"Huh? You mean like Spopovich?"

Piccolo shook his head, "No. I could sense that Spopovich's power was dark, especially when he released an energy wave, but Sheno…I can't sense her power at all."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she's able to hide her power level completely. And that could spell trouble for Gohan, or maybe even all of us," said Goku as he watched the fight with interest.

_'Think what you like Kakarot, but no one at this tournament is stronger than me. Not even you,'_ thought Vegeta.

"I'm impressed. I honestly didn't think you'd be this strong," said Gohan, "At least now I know I can use my full strength."

He powered up his energy and flew towards her at lightning speed, crashing a fist into her cheek and then another and another before reappearing behind her and kicking her in the back sending her flying across the arena. Sheno pushed a hand to the ground before she landed and flipped onto her feet then kicked off and countered him with her own attacks forcing him to block and dodge. He tried to punch her but she vanished only to appear above him and kick him in the jaw. His feet lifted off the ground where he hovered for a moment before she delivered another kick to his ribs, smashing him to the ground.

Gohan groaned and sat up, wiping the blood from his mouth. He tried his attacks again only to be countered and knocked to the ground again when she slammed her fists down on his head.

"Don't tell me that's all you've got?" she said in disappointment.

"Of course not!" he growled and stood to his feet. Why couldn't he beat her? He'd trained hard over the last seven years but here she was beating him as if he was nothing but a ragdoll. Just who was she?

His blood began to boil again, making him feel sick. He felt so angry at her, at Spopovich for what he'd done to Videl, and at himself for not being able to beat her. He needed to win!

Gohan powered up, increasing his strength, and launched at her again. Sheno grinned and prepared to counter with a kick only to strike air. She gasped and turned in time to see Gohan's foot collide with her face. He chased after her delivering punches and kicks as she flew across the arena. He was showing no mercy.

"Gohan is really going full out!" said Krillin, "Sheno isn't getting a chance to dodge his attacks."

Piccolo watched his pupil closely. He understood Gohan wanted to win so he could face Spopovich in the next round but to see him this angry concerned him. He hadn't displayed this kind of anger since he fought Cell. Something wasn't right.

With a kick Gohan launched Sheno into the air. She managed to catch herself a few hundred feet up only to be knocked back down by Gohan's fist to her cheek. She fell at lightning speed and crashed heavily into the ground creating a crater in the centre of the ring.

Gohan lowered back down as the Announcer started the countdown. He only managed to get two numbers in before Sheno jumped to her feet. The crowd cheered at the fighters.

"Not bad, for a Saiyan," she smiled and brushed some dirt off her clothes.

Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and Krillin's eyes widened.

"How in the world do you know I'm a Saiyan?" Gohan asked.

"Oh I've met many Saiyan's in my life. But none as strong as you," she smirked, "And you're not even showing your true power yet. It's rather impressive."

Gohan growled, _'How does she know so much about me? And how could she have met any Saiyan's when they all died a long time ago?'_

"I wasn't impressed however when you let Spopovich beat your friend to near death. I thought you would have cared enough to jump in the ring and save her but you were either too cowardly to face Spopovich or you're just as heartless as he is."

Gohan couldn't believe what he was hearing. How dare she compare him to Spopovich! '_HOW DARE SHE!'_

Her golden eyes stared into his, "I bet you wouldn't even care if he'd killed her."

"That's enough!"

Gohan's rage exploded from him and a silvery white aura surrounded his body like an angry flame. The stone slabs underneath him crumbled and pieces began to float in the air as his energy increased. His teeth were gritted hard and the vein in his forehead looked like it was about to pop from the pressure.

"Whoa! What's gotten into him!" cried Krillin as he shielded himself from the powerful gusts created from Gohan's power.

Just then the recovered Videl ran in wearing a fresh set of clothes. She stared in awe at the power Gohan released, "What's going on?"

Gohan's black hair began to lift and sparks of lightning flashed around him.

"Oh man! So much power!" said Krillin in amazement. It was like the fight with Cell all over again.

"Something isn't right with Gohan," said Piccolo. Despite still being in his base form, Gohan had not released this much energy in a long time. Not even when training with Piccolo, "There's no way he would tap into this much power unless he knew he was in real danger."

_'I hope you're wrong Piccolo,'_ thought Goku, sweat dripping down his face.

"Holy cow! What's up with Gohan?" said Trunks from the stands.

"Oh boy! I never knew Gohan was this strong!" said Goten with excitement.

"That's my boy! You show that girl who's boss Gohan!" Chi-Chi cheered.

"This can't be good," said Yamcha.

Sheno stared in awe at the power Gohan displayed. She couldn't believe how much power he possessed at such a young age. This was exactly what she needed.

Gohan's black eyes burned like a sun. He was so angry. He needed to win this match. He wanted her out of the way but she was stronger than he thought. He needed to bring out his power to beat her or he couldn't face Spopovich and make him suffer for hurting Videl. He had to win!

"I'm sorry Gohan," said Sheno, catching him by surprise, "But you're not going to win this time."

Gohan stared at her with raised brows when suddenly he felt two energy levels appear behind him and Spopovich and Yamu racing towards him.

As he prepared to defend, Sheno's iris' flashed blue and she fired an ki wave at Gohan. His arms and legs locked in place at his sides. He struggled against his invisible bonds, trying hard to release his power but to no avail. It was as if his energy had been locked and pulled away from his reach.

Spopovich landed behind him and locked him in a tight grasp making it impossible for him to move. Yamu stood in front of him holding a strange object that looked just like a watering can but on the end of the spout was a sharp tip like a spearhead. Without hesitation Yamu stabbed it into Gohan's gut and it began to glow.

"Gohan!" cried Videl and rushed to help her screaming friend.

_'Stay back!'_

The Z Fighter's flinched as the voice echoed loud in their heads.

_'Do not interfere!' _It was Sheno's voice.

"What do you want with him?!" Goku yelled back.

_'We are only after his energy, nothing more.'_

"What for?!" Piccolo growled.

_'That is not your concern. Just know that Gohan will live.'_

"And you expect us to trust you? because, I don't!" yelled Krillin as he launched for the arena only to be knocked back by a fist to his face. Krillin grunted as he rubbed his face and looked up at Sheno. Her once golden eyes were now an icy blue.

"I said stay back!" she growled angrily.

But the Z fighters did not listen and all charged to attack at once only to be stopped midway.

"W-whats...going…on?" said Goku as he struggled to get free. He looked at Sheno, whose eyes were glowing as she held them in place.

"Why isn't anyone helping him?!" cried Trunks as he felt Gohans energy depleting.

"We have to do something!" said Goten and powered up.

Trunks nodded and the two boys flew towards the arena, ignoring Yamcha's shouts for them to come back.

"Goten stay back!" Goku yelled but his youngest son didn't hear him.

"Gohan!" he cried for his brother only to stop when Sheno jumped between them.

"Stay back!" she said. A drop of sweat poured down her face as she focused to hold everyone in place.

"Leave my big brother alone!" Goten charged to attack her but gasped as she struck him on the back of the neck, rendering him unconscious.

"Goten!" yelled Trunks but he too was struck and fell unconscious.

Sheno grabbed the two boys and lowered them to the ground beside her. Gohan's screams quietened down to chokes as his energy left him. There was a flash of blinding gold light as the object in Yamu's hands absorbed the rest of Gohan's energy causing everyone to shield their eyes.

Gohan's screams had gone silent and he fell limply from Spopovich's arm.

"Yes! Now we have all the pure energy we need!" Said Yamu, "Let's go."

With a quick nod at Sheno, Spopovich and Yamu leapt into the air and flew off at great speed towards the mountains.

Sheno held the Z fighters in place for a moment longer to allow Spopovich and Yamu a head start before releasing them. But they were too stunned by what happened that they didn't react when she took off after her comrades.

_'__I'm sorry.'_


	8. Chapter 8

Videl ran onto the stage, panic rising with every step closer to her motionless friend. She dropped to her knees at his side and sighed in relief to see that he was still breathing – his eyes were barely open.

"Don't move Gohan. You're going to be alright," she gently placed a hand on his shoulder and called for a stretcher.

Goku appeared at her side, "Don't worry, I'll get him fixed up."

Goku unfastened the brown bag from his belt sash for another Senzu bean. Already they were down to their last Senzu bean. If this had been any normal tournament they wouldn't have needed them, but these events were nowhere near ordinary.

He pulled out one of the small beans and placed it in his son's mouth. Gohan struggled to chew it for a moment but as it broke he felt a little energy return to him until he was able to swallow it.

Groaning, Gohan pushed onto his knees, "Thanks Dad."

He could feel that a lot of his strength was still missing but at least the pain was gone and he could move. He gasped in horror when he saw Krillin lifting the unconscious bodies of his brother and Trunks into his arms.

"What happened?" he said and leapt to his feet.

"Don't worry, they're alright," said Goku, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, "Sheno knocked them unconscious when they tried to intervene."

"Where is she?" he asked when he noticed the red-head was no longer present.

"She took off after Spopovich and Yamu," said Piccolo as he joined them, "She said that they needed your power but not why."

"We need to go after her!" Gohan growled.

"I think something more is going on and if we don't find out what it is something bad might happen," said Piccolo.

"Gohan you can't be serious!" cried Videl when he was about to take off, "You saw what they did to you. Do you really think you have a chance against them?"

"I'm sorry Videl, but I have to find out what's going on," he said, his eyes looking into hers to try and make her understand.

"Well, if you guys are going then I am too," said Krillin, "Just give me minute to let my family know I'm going."

Krillin flew off to the stands to return Goten and Trunks to their worried mothers and explain to his wife and daughter of the situation.

"I know what you're doing Kakarot!" a voice growled from behind, "You're trying to skip out on our next match aren't you?"

"Vegeta, can't you see there's something more important going on here?" said Goku, trying to calm the Saiyan Prince.

"You listen!" Vegeta growled and grabbed Goku's shirt, "After the next match we are scheduled to fight. And you _will_ fight me! I only entered this stupid tournament so I could beat you!"

Goku held up his hands in defence, "Ok, ok, take it easy Vegeta! I have to find out what's happening but I promise to put you at the top of my list of things to do when I get back."

Vegeta growled again and let go of his rival, "You forget, you can only stay for one day in this world!"

Goku scratched the back of his head nervously, "I guess that slipped my mind. Well, how about you come with me then?"

Vegeta snarled in protest then huffed a sigh, "Fine."

"We're wasting time. Let's go," said Piccolo and took flight, followed by Goku and Vegeta.

Gohan was about to follow when he felt a hand grab his arm, "Wait Gohan. If you're going then I'm going too."

"No Videl. This could get really dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt again," he said sternly.

"And what about you? I'm not just going to sit back here while you're out there fighting. You could get hurt again!"

"Please Videl. If this were any other situation I would agree for you to come along but I have a really bad feeling about all of this. If something were to happen to you out there I would never forgive myself. Stay here for now, and when the tournament is over go with my mother and the others. I'll meet you after," his pleading eyes stared into hers, begging her not to follow. He understood her wanting to go with him - she was a protector of the people after all – but this was too much for her. She didn't last very long against Spopovich and there was a possibility of there being others with them. He couldn't put her through that again.

Videl seemed to understand the urgency in his eyes as she sighed deeply and let go of his arm, "Alright I'll stay. But promise me you will come back."

Gohan smiled and nodded, "I promise."

And with that he followed after his father, with Krillin closely behind.

Trees swayed and waves lashed as the five warriors flew passed at blinding speed. They'd been flying for almost twenty minutes now – passing over cities and seas – but there was no sign of Sheno. They could feel the faint power of Spopovich and Yamu in the far distance so they knew they were going in the right direction.

Gohan was lost in thought as he flew by his father and mentor's sides. Just who were Sheno, Spopovich and Yamu and why were they after his power? Were they going to use it to empower themselves further? If so, what for? Even with Gohans power he was sure they could defeat Spopovich and Yamu but if Sheno used it then they were in serious danger. She was powerful. His attacks did little damage to her and hers were strong enough to knock the air from his lungs. And whatever power she used to hold him in place also prevented him from transforming. Whatever they were up to they needed to be stopped.

"There!"

Gohan was brought out of his trance and looked at his mentor. Following the Namekians gaze he saw a faint dot on the horizon.

'That's her!' Gohan thought angrily and readied to charge when they saw her descending.

"That's odd. Why would she land out here in the middle of nowhere?" asked Krillin.

"I don't know but let's find out," said Goku.

"She may not have noticed our presence yet so I think we should keep our power levels low and find out what's going on from a distance," said Piccolo and they agreed.

Lowering their power levels, they landed on top of a cliff and observed the area. Sheno, Spopovich and Yamu were waiting by a small white building no bigger than a garden shed with the letter "M" above the door. There was also a house with a blue car parked outside where Gohan noticed three bodies sprawled on the grass; a man, woman and child. He growled in anger at the sight of the lifeless family.

The door opened and a figure stepped out. He was an alien creature with light brown skin, thick yellow lips and green pupil-less eyes. He wore a black jumpsuit and white armour with two spikes protruding from his back and a matching helmet over his long cranium. On the forehead of his helmet was the same "M" symbol as above the door.

"So, you've finally returned. I trust you got what was needed?" asked the alien.

"Yes. Please inform the Master," said Yamu.

The alien sent word through the ship intercom and a few moments later the door opened again and a tall muscular red-skinned devil stepped out. He had two short horns protruding from his head with the "M" symbol on his forehead, short black hair and a goatee. He wore a blue outfit with white boots and a belt and a cape reaching down to his ankles. He was followed by a small and frail-looking creature with sickly yellow skin and bulging eyes.

Gohan wasn't sure why but he felt more terror when he looked at the smaller of the group.

Spopovich and Yamu bowed to the small creature.

"So, what have you brought me?" he said.

"For you Master Babidi," said Yamu and handed over the container of energy.

"Well done. We are one step closer to achieving our goal," said Babidi," But it's such a shame your business with me is finished. I'm afraid you are no longer of any use to me."

Spopovich and Yamu stared at their master in confusion when Babidi's eyes lit up red. Spopovich suddenly began to scream in agony as an unbearable pain surged through his entire body. His muscles convulsed and expanded violently. His eyes bulged from their sockets and his body bloated like a balloon.

The Z fighters watched in sickened horror as the man choked and blood poured from his nose, mouth and ears. Babidi grinned sinisterly as the man's body exploded into dust and blew away in the wind leaving no trace left.

"Too bad. I really liked him too," said the evil creature.

"Now, for our other friend," said the devil and set his eyes on Yamu.

Yamu gasped in terror and took flight to get away from them as quickly as possible.

Babidi ordered the armoured minion, Pui Pui, to kill the fleeing human to which he gladly obliged. He aimed his arm like a rifle and shot an energy blast, hitting his target with perfect accuracy, disintegrating him into dust like his companion.

"That monster! What kind of people kill their own partners?" said Gohan in shock.

Babidi laughed, "Seeing their faces contort in horror like that. It pleases me to no end how easily humans are frightened."

"And they were just two of them. There are millions for us to torture," said the devil.

"Yes, it's exciting. What say you Sheno?"

The red-head appeared unfazed by what had just happened and watched with her arms folded, "You and Dabura can do what you want as long as you hold up your end of our bargain."

"Oh but of course my dear. Soon we will both have what we want," he laughed manically and went to enter his ship but stopped at the door and turned his head towards her, "Oh but one thing you might not have noticed. It seems we have some company. You were a bit careless in your escape."

"That's where you are mistaken," she said, "I intended for them to follow. Three of them have enormous power – some of which is now in your possession. I did not have enough energy to hold them all in place long enough for Spopovich and Yamu to steal their power. The only option was to take it from one and lure the others here."

Babidi grinned widely, "My, it seems I underestimated you Sheno. Perhaps there is more use to you than I originally thought."

Sheno's eyes squinted at his words.

"If they are as strong as you say they are, then let us see how much you have gathered already. Dabura, lure the strong ones inside. Kill the others."

Babidi, Sheno and Pui Pui disappeared into the ship, leaving Dabura standing outside alone.

"Huh? Why is he just standing outside by himself?" asked Goku.

The devil stood motionless as if in a trance when they felt a sudden rise in power. Before they could blink the devil was right in front of them, palm held out as he summoned energy.

"Look out!" yelled Piccolo as a large beam blasted from Dabura's palm.

They avoided the attack and the Saiyans rushed him. He avoided and countered their attacks with ease.

Gohan, still weakened, fired an energy blast at him only for him to dodge and appear behind him. The young Saiyan had no time to react as he was knocked to the ground. Gohan groaned and when he looked up he noticed he was gone.

"Where'd he go?" asked Krillin when he suddenly felt a presence behind him.

He turned and saw the towering figure hovering above him. Before he could dodge the devil spat a white liquid from his mouth, hitting Krillin on the cheek.

"Yuck! Disgusting!" he complained and tried to wipe it from his face.

Piccolo growled and charged the devil only to be hit with the spit on the chest. He looked at it in shocked disgust and backed away from his enemy.

Goku and Gohan watched in horror as Krillin screamed. His body went rigid and began to dry rapidly. He called to his friends for help and Goku rushed to his side but when he reached him he was too late. Krillin was frozen in place with an expression of terror on his face. When Goku touched him he felt the rough and dry texture of stone.

"Krillin!" Goku yelled and turned when he heard Piccolo's cries and saw the same happen to him.

"No, Piccolo!" yelled Gohan.

Dabura laughed manically at their despair, "I give you one chance to run. Take it, unless you want to end up like your friends."

Enraged, the three Saiyan pursued the devil as he disappeared back into the ship. When they reached the entrance the saw a dark tunnel descending deep underground, but how far they could not tell.

Without hesitation they entered. While Gohan felt angry at seeing his friends turned to stone, Goku felt some excitement at the challenge before them. It had been so long since the warrior had battled someone equal – if not stronger – to himself. It was those kind of opponents that brought out the power within him.

Within seconds they reach a brightly lit circular room with windows all around. In the centre was a circular shutter undoubtedly leading to another tunnel. There was a single door with the "M" symbol, closed shut with no handles to open. Gohan expected to be greeted by minions but was surprised to find the room empty.

When they touched the floor a door to the tunnel above closed, preventing them from escaping.

"Well, I guess we have no choice but to fight our way through," Goku grinned.

Vegeta scoffed, "I'll solve all our problems and blow this place into oblivion."

"And give you all the fun? No way."

Gohan wish he had his father's enthusiasm. The three of them might be strong but after experiencing the power of these new enemies and losing so much of his, Gohan wasn't so sure this would be as easy as his father and Vegeta thought.

"I thought there'd actually be a fight in this place," grumbled Vegeta.

Their eyes darted towards the door as it slowly began to open. They stood ready to face whatever came out of it and was surprised to see only one. It was the armoured alien that had killed Yamu.

"Welcome fellow warriors. You have arrived at stage one," he said.

"What's stage one?" asked Goku curiously.

"Master Babidi is at the bottom of this ship. We are currently at level one and there is no way of getting down unless you beat the warrior that appears at each stage."

"Just who is this Babidi and what do you want from us?" asked Gohan.

"I wouldn't worry yourselves about that because you won't be getting to the next stage. You see the warrior you have to face in this stage is none other than me; Pui Pui. And there is no way any of you are getting out of here alive!" he laughed.

They stared at Pui Pui with unfazed expressions when Goku chuckled, "Alright guys, so which one of us gets to fight first?"

* * *

"Those pitiful fools," said a cackled voice deep within the ship as he watched the Saiyans through his magical crystal ball, "I'd be surprised if any one of them had a brain."

"Trapped so easily. And to think they believe they stand a chance against Pui Pui," laughed Dabura.

"Yes. I think we know how this fight will turn out," said Babidi and telepathically returned the crystal ball to its pedestal. He stroked the container of energy, "Come. Let us inject this energy before it loses its purity."

Babidi stopped in his tracks when he noticed Sheno was not following, "Aren't you coming my dear?"

"No. I will observe the fights from here," she said.

"I wouldn't bother. Those three won't provide much entertainment," grinned Dabura but Sheno ignored him.

"Very well, do as you wish," said Babidi and the two left the room while Sheno gazed into the crystal ball.


	9. Chapter 9

"One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three"

Pui Pui watched disarrayed as the three warriors played a round of Rock, Paper, and Scissors to decide who would fight. It had been going on for two minutes now and no winner had been declared. To Pui Pui it didn't matter, all of them together stood no chance against him. If the fools wanted die one at a time then he had no problem with that.

"One. Two. Three."

A wide grin stretched Vegeta's lips as he looked at the results. His scissors beat Gohan and Goku's Paper.

"Scissors win."

Goku frowned, "Aww, I wanted to fight this guy."

"Sorry you won't get your chance," smirked the Prince.

"You're foolish if you think you can beat me with all three of you, never mind alone. You're all just a bunch of morons," laughed Pui Pui.

"The only morons here are you and your associates. If you had investigated this planet thoroughly first you would know that the most powerful warrior alive is standing right in front of you," said Vegeta in his usual over-confident tone.

Pui Pui laughed, "You, the most powerful warrior a live? That kind of arrogance will get you killed."

In a blinding flash Pui Pui disappeared then reappeared behind them. He vanished again and again, dancing around the room to show off his speed. The Z Fighters however were not impressed.

"None of you will ever leave here," he said as he stopped in front of them, "Every ounce of energy you use as I strike you will be absorbed by this room."

"What exactly are you gathering energy for?" asked Gohan.

Pui Pui smirked silently for a moment then folded his arms, "I guess I can spare you some detail as a last request before you die. You see, we came to this planet because eons ago a powerful creature known as Majin Buu was sealed in a ball and buried deep within the core of this planet. When we found the ball there was no sign of life and no magic would unseal it so we sent Spopovich, Yamu and Sheno to the World Tournament where the strongest warriors in the world were gathered and they could absorb energy from the fighters. We would then transfer that energy to Majin Buu and once enough is gathered he will be revived."

"What is this Majin Buu?" asked Gohan.

Pui Pui laughed mockingly, "He is the most powerful being in the universe and once he is under Master Babidi's control we will rule the universe and destroy anyone in our path!"

"Well I guess that's unfortunate," said Vegeta, "Since you won't be able to hurt me you won't be able to steal my energy."

"Keep dreaming. Before I'm done I'll do much more than hurt you. When you fight Pui Pui death is a certainty!"

Pui Pui launched at the Saiyan Prince with great speed. He raised his leg to deliver a devastating kick to his head only for Vegeta to block it with no effort. Surprised, Pui Pui jumped back then swung a fist only to be blocked again. The Saiyan stared at him broodily.

Pui Pui jumped away, "You're stronger than I thought. But not as strong as me!"

He charged again and threw a barrage of punches and kicks. Vegeta dodged each one with such ease that he believed his eight-year-old son had more chance of hitting him.

He caught Pui Pui's foot in his hand as he tried to kick him again. The alien stared in shock before the Saiyan kicked him in the chest sending him flying across the room where he crashed into the wall.

Pui Pui groaned as he struggled to his knees. His entire body was shaking from the pain. He growled when he saw the Saiyan standing before him and launched at him only for a foot to collide with his chin hurling him upwards. Pui Pui managed to gather his bearings in time to land his feet on the ceiling and flew back down to the floor. When he turned to face his opponent he realised he had vanished, leaving only him and the two others who watched with mild interest.

"You looking for me?"

Pui Pui spun around in time to see a fist collide into his cheek knocking him to the ground.

"What's wrong? Had enough?" mocked Vegeta.

Pui Pui growled as he got to his feet, "No!"

He punched only to strike air as Vegeta jumped over him, planting a foot lightly on the aliens' head before proceeding to kick him again. Just as Pui Pui skidded to a halt the Saiyan appeared in front of him delivering blindingly fast punches to his abdomen and face.

At the bottom of the ship Babidi and Dabura had returned and were now watching the fight with surprised interest.

"What is Pui Pui doing?" said Babidi, "Just look at him. He's losing. How are we supposed to get energy for Majin Buu if he can't damage that fighter?"

Dabura grinned, "Don't worry Master. Pui Pui has a lot more fight left in him. Perhaps if he was on his home planet, the planet Zoon?"

"Very well, planet Zoon it is!" a mystical green aura surrounded the wizard as he summoned his magic, "Paparapapa!"

Vegeta stopped his advance towards his opponent as the room suddenly changed. The floor turned to red rock and the walls changed to the darkness of space with numerous planets and moons in view.

"What happened?" asked Gohan, "Are we in space?"

Pui Pui laughed at the confused Saiyan Prince, "Welcome to _my_ home planet. I have won many great battles here and by now you'll have noticed my planet is very different from yours," he picked up a red rock from the ground and held it at eye-level before dropping it where it crashed into the ground at a faster speed than normal, "It's the gravity; Ten times stronger than Earth. Your hopes of winning are falling faster than that stone. You won't leave here alive!"

Vegeta smirked arrogantly cutting the aliens laughter short, "Maybe if this was five-hundred times gravity you might have an advantage. But ten? I don't even feel it."

Pui Pui pretended not to believe him but the confident grin on Vegeta frightened him. He had to be bluffing. There was no way he could withstand the gravity change.

"You're lying. I'm going to put you in your place!"

Pui Pui charged and punched at Vegeta's head but the Saiyan merely moved his head back to dodge. Pui Pui threw in more and more punches but Vegeta was too fast for him that he didn't see the fist that pounded its way into his abdomen. Blood and saliva spewed from the alien's mouth as the air was knocked from his lungs. He didn't even get a chance to inhale as a devastating kick sent him flying crashing into a rock. He struggled to move as every muscle and bone in his body ached.

"So you still think I'm bluffing?" mocked Vegeta.

Angry that he was being made a fool of, Pui Pui ran for another attack only to stop as Vegeta appeared in front of him. Time seemed to move slow as the Saiyan placed his hands on the chest of Pui Pui's armour. He had no time to move as a powerful wave of energy engulfed his body in a blinding light. His screams echoed through the room as his body disintegrated into nothing.

"Hey good job Vegeta!" cheered Goku.

"Hmmf. You'd think whoever these people are they'd send some stronger fighters."

The room returned to that of the ship and a panel on the floor opened up to reveal another tunnel leading down.

"Hey look the door's opened up. Let's see what else is in store for us," said Goku enthusiastically as Gohan and Vegeta followed.

While Gohan knew his father and Vegeta were strong he wondered if maybe they were taking things too lightly. Spopovich, Yamu and Pui Pui proved to me no match for any of them but he wasn't so sure they could take Dabura and Sheno. He'd only had a glimpse of Dabura's power but if they didn't watch he could turn them to stone at any minute. And then there was Sheno who was strong enough to prevent him from attacking and supressing his power. And what of Babidi? He may look puny and weak but his power was unlike anything Gohan had seen. He felt no remorse for what happened to Spopovich but the sight of it had sickened him. And it was no doubt him that transported them to Pui Pui's planet. Whatever those three were, they had to be careful, no matter how powerful they'd become.


End file.
